Psychic Force 2012

"Great game... at a great price"

I must admit that i had my doubts beofre getting this game... and if it wasn't for the incredibly low price tag ($29.99), don't think i would picked it up from the shelf at all. But something told me that its was worth a shot, maybe its all the hype this game stirred in Japan... or maybe i was just craving for something different... and i got to say, this game is worth every penny i paid

Graphics:
Ehhh... the only thing that makes it a dreamcast game is the incredibly crisp graphics and the game running at a constant 60fps . Don't get me wrong, the graphics aren't bad at all, its just that the dreamcast could do so much more than that. I've got a feeling this is one reason taito made the game dirt cheap

The backgrounds are plain average, not much to write about. You have the standard cityscape, not too bad... not too good either.

I've got to say the character designs are awesome though, i've gotta hand it to taito for the great anime design.

Score:7/10

Sound:
The Zunata soundtrack is mixed bag... some of it will get you humming for days while others are forgetten once the round is over. Once nice option they included ( which i think all companies should do ) is include the option to switch between the original and arranged soundtrack.

I guess subtitles are catching on and thats good. I'm glad Taito decided to leave the japanese voice acting untouched and use subtitles instead... but the thing is that the subtitles are badly translated... i would say 25% of the subtitles sound wierd or dun make much sense at all ( for example Patty goes "You'll never know" when she loses the first round... whats with that? )

Score:8/10

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gameplay:
This is where the game really shines. The fighting system is not seen in any other fighting game and everything may seem a little too awkward when you first start out. In fact the whole game just seems wierd and totally randomized at first cause you'll be mostly be tossing fireballs at each other and occasionally rushing in to give the opponent a few whacks. And just as you pass this game off as shallow and easy... the computer suddenly becomes totally unforgiving and trashed you totally, making the whole experience even worse.

But once you learn all the moves, get the hang of avoiding attacks, and most importantly, master when to use which blocking method. The game suddenly be so addictive you can't bare to turn it off... its depth is just incredible. But i don't know if many people have the patience to do just that

Also, you'll notice that some characters are more powerful than the others. and some to a point of being totally cheap... this kinda tosses the balance a little but seriously i don't really have a problem with that since i'm the guy wouldn't mind using the underdog... chances of winning are slimmer but its one of the little joys in life to see your opponent totally humiliated.

Score:10/10

Replayability:
With the amount of time you need to master this game, unlock the secret characters (which takes a REALLY long time) and seeing how fun the game gets once you get the hang of it...

Score:9/10

Overall:
Well... i should be giving this game a "9" but a couple of factors prevents me from doing just that.

First,the playstation version has 6 secret characters compared to the dreamcast's 3 ,and many extra modes to it.

Second, there isn't any animated FMV in it! now whatsup with that?!

Score:8/10

Buy or Rent?

I would say rent before buying since this game may be too much for some to handle... but with the really low price tag... i don't think it'll make much of a difference.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/27/99, Updated 11/27/99